Post by sixshot on Nov 8, 2016 18:47:03 GMT -5
I've had quite a few PM's this month from guys wanting to make that first or once in a life time hunt out west for mule deer or elk. Most have some idea of where they want to hunt but beyond that they don't know the "needs" or the "ways" of getting the job done so I'm going to cover a few things here & hope that it helps. Some will agree & some will disagree but remember nothing I say is written in stone, the reason is, it's hunting so things can change because of weather, terrain, time of year, altitude, hunting pressure, etc. For those who have never taken a single big buck or an elk most of this should prove helpful, for those who have taken a couple of muleys or an elk or two, you will probably already know some of this. Not claiming to be an expert here, I'm just going to share some of the ways we do it & then I'll show some photo's of game taken by family & close friends this year. These photo's are bucks & bulls taken with rifles but what I want everyone to learn from this is, it is possible to take these animals on foot, on public land year in & year out by using certain tactics that are almost fool proof. I'll also mention that me & my oldest son glassed over 60 head of deer yesterday, including either 8 or 9 bucks, wasn't sure but 2 of them were the "Holy Grail" of muleys, the 30" buck. One was 910 yds, the other was 1570 yds. We saw them yesterday morning & again last night, this sets the stage for what I'm about to say.
OK, first up, you've decided you want to hunt out west, you have to pick either Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah or New Mexico. There are other states but getting a tag is like hitting a hole in one & finding a shooter animal is tough although there are some amazing bucks in Nevada if you can get the tag. It's going to be hard to beat Colorado for either bucks or bulls, Wyoming has lots of both & plenty of public land, Idaho & Montana has lots of good bucks & bulls, etc. You'll just have to decide & then start putting a plan together. Here's where my buddy COR comes in! Curt Raybuck is a friend I met a couple years back & instead of talking about it he jumped in, found a place where he could rent some horses & in short order had killed a bull elk. It had been a dream of his for a long time & he made it happen. It isn't easy the first time but there are a few things that are a must, lets start with number two since you've already picked out where you plan to hunt.
#2 is OPTICS! Last night when we were glassing those bucks, some at close to 1 mile we were using 2 high quality spotting scopes, 20X60 power, they are your eyes & your legs & are way more important than your rifle, at least to start with. Covering a mile in this country can be a nightmare, especially if it's just to check out a buck or bull & find out it's no where near what you are looking for. It can take 2-3 hours to cover a mile in this country, sometimes longer because its rough country & sometimes there are several sets of eyes protecting that buck or bull. Once you cross over into their "world" you give up everything, usually you get one chance at a big buck or bull, give up that chance because of sight or scent & you blow everything. DO NOT cross over into a canyon unless you are ready to make a final stalk that hopefully will end in a kill, remember you are taking your scent into that canyon!
Glass, glass & then glass again! We glassed 8 1/2 hrs. yesterday & didn't move 59 feet. We were in a "funnel" a very large funnel which means it's a migratory route for deer, elk & moose & with patience & great optics, notice I said great, good won't cut it here guys. Some of these funnel's are huge compared to what you are used to seeing in the East & Southern US.
#3 is Binoculars & this can easily be # 2 for quick scanning & then switching to that high quality spotting scope. We use Swarovski & Ziess 10X42's or 10X50's. It takes patience & we see many hunters some days move right past big bucks & bulls after 30 seconds of glassing. This is the most frequent mistake we see & it happen almost every day we hunt. The bulls many times will run because elk are wild, especially public land elk but big bucks will hold tight & sweat you out like a river boat gambler. If he's hidden & has a safe distance it's a good bet he will hold & wait for you to move on & most times that's exactly what most hunters do.
If possible glass the canyons you want to hunt but don't go in them until you absolutely have to, go up a different canyon & then cross over, using a low spot & play the wind in your favor & try to set up for your shot. In this country that can be long. We try to never take a long shot but sometimes that's all you have, still we always try to close as much as we can. Almost always the wind will be going up the canyon during the day so you have to approach from the top or the side, if you come underneath it's usually over as soon as you step foot in the canyon unless it's a low pressure system that's moved in. Remember that!
Early in the morning you can hunt from below because the air is cold & heavy but you have to do it quick, the air will warm up & roll over depending on time of year & whether it's sunny or cold.
During the mid day when we are back in camp the boys usually shoot their rifle at least once. Here's the reason why. Let's say they zeroed here at our range at 60 degrees & we're now hunting at 20 degrees. That's about 80 fps velocity loss for the 40 degree drop, not enough to make a difference at 200-300 yds, but grandson Ridge killed his 29" buck a couple weeks ago at 523 yds right after it stood up from it's bed. That can make a difference in his 6.5/06. The others are shooting 280 Ackley Improved guns. You might spend 2 weeks & 3-4 thousand dollars to get that one shot, you need a very good rifle with a very good scope & hopefully a spotter because many times at distance you will get a quick second shot so do your home work. Anything less than great equipment is asking for trouble. Hopefully those of you who make a hunt out west will have a great experience whether it's on foot, a 4 wheeler, on horseback or with the use of a guide or having a guide do a drop camp (good way to go) best of luck to all of you. Now for a few photo's of some recent bucks & bulls from guys doing it the right way but remember there's more than one way to do it, our way isn't the only way. If you are successful you are doing it right. Today is the last day for my son, he's out there alone right now after the bigger of the two bucks, hopefully I'll get a phone call around 7pm if he can get cell phone coverage.
A 35" buck taken by a very good hunter.
A 44" bull moose taken by my son Shane's best friend 2 weeks ago, took all 4 of Shane's horses to pack it out.
My 17 year old grandson with his 29" buck, he also has a 32" buck to his credit & he took a bull elk with his bow this year.
This bull was taken by my best friends son in law, great bull!!!
A great 194" buck taken by a young friend who really knows his stuff.
Neighbor Kid, he's pretty happy & so is his brother!
Dick
OK, first up, you've decided you want to hunt out west, you have to pick either Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah or New Mexico. There are other states but getting a tag is like hitting a hole in one & finding a shooter animal is tough although there are some amazing bucks in Nevada if you can get the tag. It's going to be hard to beat Colorado for either bucks or bulls, Wyoming has lots of both & plenty of public land, Idaho & Montana has lots of good bucks & bulls, etc. You'll just have to decide & then start putting a plan together. Here's where my buddy COR comes in! Curt Raybuck is a friend I met a couple years back & instead of talking about it he jumped in, found a place where he could rent some horses & in short order had killed a bull elk. It had been a dream of his for a long time & he made it happen. It isn't easy the first time but there are a few things that are a must, lets start with number two since you've already picked out where you plan to hunt.
#2 is OPTICS! Last night when we were glassing those bucks, some at close to 1 mile we were using 2 high quality spotting scopes, 20X60 power, they are your eyes & your legs & are way more important than your rifle, at least to start with. Covering a mile in this country can be a nightmare, especially if it's just to check out a buck or bull & find out it's no where near what you are looking for. It can take 2-3 hours to cover a mile in this country, sometimes longer because its rough country & sometimes there are several sets of eyes protecting that buck or bull. Once you cross over into their "world" you give up everything, usually you get one chance at a big buck or bull, give up that chance because of sight or scent & you blow everything. DO NOT cross over into a canyon unless you are ready to make a final stalk that hopefully will end in a kill, remember you are taking your scent into that canyon!
Glass, glass & then glass again! We glassed 8 1/2 hrs. yesterday & didn't move 59 feet. We were in a "funnel" a very large funnel which means it's a migratory route for deer, elk & moose & with patience & great optics, notice I said great, good won't cut it here guys. Some of these funnel's are huge compared to what you are used to seeing in the East & Southern US.
#3 is Binoculars & this can easily be # 2 for quick scanning & then switching to that high quality spotting scope. We use Swarovski & Ziess 10X42's or 10X50's. It takes patience & we see many hunters some days move right past big bucks & bulls after 30 seconds of glassing. This is the most frequent mistake we see & it happen almost every day we hunt. The bulls many times will run because elk are wild, especially public land elk but big bucks will hold tight & sweat you out like a river boat gambler. If he's hidden & has a safe distance it's a good bet he will hold & wait for you to move on & most times that's exactly what most hunters do.
If possible glass the canyons you want to hunt but don't go in them until you absolutely have to, go up a different canyon & then cross over, using a low spot & play the wind in your favor & try to set up for your shot. In this country that can be long. We try to never take a long shot but sometimes that's all you have, still we always try to close as much as we can. Almost always the wind will be going up the canyon during the day so you have to approach from the top or the side, if you come underneath it's usually over as soon as you step foot in the canyon unless it's a low pressure system that's moved in. Remember that!
Early in the morning you can hunt from below because the air is cold & heavy but you have to do it quick, the air will warm up & roll over depending on time of year & whether it's sunny or cold.
During the mid day when we are back in camp the boys usually shoot their rifle at least once. Here's the reason why. Let's say they zeroed here at our range at 60 degrees & we're now hunting at 20 degrees. That's about 80 fps velocity loss for the 40 degree drop, not enough to make a difference at 200-300 yds, but grandson Ridge killed his 29" buck a couple weeks ago at 523 yds right after it stood up from it's bed. That can make a difference in his 6.5/06. The others are shooting 280 Ackley Improved guns. You might spend 2 weeks & 3-4 thousand dollars to get that one shot, you need a very good rifle with a very good scope & hopefully a spotter because many times at distance you will get a quick second shot so do your home work. Anything less than great equipment is asking for trouble. Hopefully those of you who make a hunt out west will have a great experience whether it's on foot, a 4 wheeler, on horseback or with the use of a guide or having a guide do a drop camp (good way to go) best of luck to all of you. Now for a few photo's of some recent bucks & bulls from guys doing it the right way but remember there's more than one way to do it, our way isn't the only way. If you are successful you are doing it right. Today is the last day for my son, he's out there alone right now after the bigger of the two bucks, hopefully I'll get a phone call around 7pm if he can get cell phone coverage.
A 35" buck taken by a very good hunter.
A 44" bull moose taken by my son Shane's best friend 2 weeks ago, took all 4 of Shane's horses to pack it out.
My 17 year old grandson with his 29" buck, he also has a 32" buck to his credit & he took a bull elk with his bow this year.
This bull was taken by my best friends son in law, great bull!!!
A great 194" buck taken by a young friend who really knows his stuff.
Neighbor Kid, he's pretty happy & so is his brother!
Dick
and if/when I do the first round of Huckleberry shakes are on me 
